Mu Zhongqing initially thought he wouldn’t escape incarceration this time, but, surprisingly, his danger turned into safety overnight. Even the two shops owned by his family and his field manor were unsealed, everything was restored!
The one picking him up from Ying Tianfu was Young Master Huo Yuan. Many days since their last meeting, yet Huo Yuan still looked stunning and elegant as before, his all-white robe with no pattern making him look like an ethereal deity who’s untouched by any dirt, though the plainness was overwhelming.
"Uncle Mu, you went through a lot, congratulations on getting through it safely!"
As soon as he saw Mu Zhongqing, Huo Yuan immediately got off the horse carriage and greeted him with a hand gesture.
Mu Zhongqing returned the gestures insisting: "I beg your pardon!"
He thought that once thrown into jail, even if he did not die, he would at the least suffer greatly from the torment. He had often heard reports of the brutal acts perpetrated by prison guards, therefore, he was mentally prepared to face the pain. But not only did he not go through any pain, but the prison guard, who had been responsible for his charge, even treated him to meat and wine, and respected him as if he were the presiding deity.
Huo Yuan was perplexed and only after persistent inquiries did the prison guard tell the truth.
It turned out that Young Master Huo Yuan had gratified the several prison guards in charge of Mu Zhongqing, rewarding each of them ten taels of patterned silver, and asked them to take good care of Scholar Mu overnight. All of these lower-ranked soldiers earned less than ten taels of silver in a year. As a result, the sight of such a tremendous amount of silver elated them. They itched to worship Mu Zhongqing, not only did they eagerly supply him with meat and wine but one of the prison guards also brought a clean set of bedding from home for him to sleep on!
Upon learning the truth, Mu Zhongqing couldn’t be more grateful to Huo Yuan. Therefore, as soon as he got out, he was eager to express his gratitude.
Huo Yuan stopped him, looking solemn, and said: "Uncle Mu, please accompany me to Huguo Temple. There is something that requires your decision."
Mu Zhongqing intended to go home first after getting out of jail to give reassurances to his family about his safety, but seeing Huo Yuan look so grave, and considering that he owed his current freedom to him, he couldn’t refuse him outright. He had no choice but to get on the carriage with him.
On their way, Huo Yuan slowly informed Mu Zhongqing about the death of Lady Mei and mentioned that Lady Du and others were now staying at his place. He didn’t mention about Wen’er being beaten and the shops being sealed, since Wen’er had already been awakened and the shops were unsealed. It would just distress him more to know because the situation was already the same whether or not he reveals it.
Hearing about Lady Mei’s death, Mu Zhongqing felt immense sorrow. Lady Mei had suffered all her life and ended up having such a tragic ending, regardless of her relation to Lady Du, anyone would feel moved by her situation. Considering she was the mother of his dear wife Lady Mei, he had an inherent affection towards her due to his love for his wife, hence he had always been especially careful while dealing with the affairs in regard to the descendants of Lady Mei.
Caiwei found out about Lady Mei’s demise the following morning. She was shook for a while, and almost rushed outside to hire a horse carriage to get back to the capital. Her life experience of over forty years luckily kept her calm, preventing her from any rash actions.
When she left, grandmother was perfectly fine, smiling and urging her to return soon. Now she’s gone, how could she not feel desolated?
Because of her gloom, Cai Wei took Brother Parrot outside to the bustling streets, partly to distract herself from the profound grief in her heart, and also to find some delicacies for Brother Parrot who had performed the night’s journey tirelessly.
The streets of Qingyun Town were, as always, bustling. Street vendors shouted loudly, and the peddlers strolled down the street...
In the past, these intriguing objects would easily catch Cai Wei’s attention, but not today. Since learning about Lady Mei’s death, she could not shake off waves of grief, and nothing could distract her.